


Wisps of Moonlight

by SilverBlue



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Pre-Localised Names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-14 23:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7196249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverBlue/pseuds/SilverBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He enjoys looking at the moon the most."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wisps of Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't supposed to be so long.
> 
> Seeing so much great work out there, I felt inspired to create something.
> 
> Apologies for the following:  
> \- The fic being unbeta'd  
> \- Using the Japanese names because I'm just used to playing in Japanese (and I have a personal preference for names like Zero and Suzukaze :x) which also means—  
> \- Possible OOC-ness (or perhaps that's my writing ...)  
> \- ... The "bright" idea of having Saizou as comic relief.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :3

Adrenaline continued pounding through her body as Kamui laid under her the sheets and stared at the ceiling. Her mind just wouldn’t settle. Moonlight cast its light through the thin curtains, lighting up her room and doing nothing to help lure her into drowsiness.  
  
Their most recent campaign had lasted into the early hours of the morn and everyone had returned in silence – not because the fight itself had been particularly complex but rather the battles had stacked up one after another along with their fatigue. Even those who were usually more energetic quietened but it was only when Odin made for his own quarters with a plain ‘rest well’ did Kamui fully understand the extent of their exhaustion.  
  
_We will rest tomorrow and no one will argue otherwise_ , she thought to herself. It may take some convincing but she was determined everyone get at least one day. All shops closed, minimal effort for everything else.  
  
Kamui sat up, eyes feeling heavy but mentally awake. Sighing, she pushed herself out of bed and treaded to the window, parting the curtain slightly and lifting herself onto the wide sill. She steadied her breathing to match the quiet of the night, watching the near-full moon hang in the sky, thoughts sinking into a half-dream as she watched the world below her glow in silver.  
  
Her eyes traced the outlines of the buildings, the water, the spring, the trees, the statue, the figure, the—  
  
_Figure?  
_  
Her attention returned to the last object and sure enough, she could make a figure in the distance on the ground, leaning against the statue and blending so well into the shadows it was a miracle she even recognised it. She squinted, wondering who was still awake so late – or was it now early? The light was not strong enough for her to discern whom it was, try as she might to stare down the person as though their identity would reveal themselves through sheer willpower.  
  
There was not enough energy left in her to slip out of her room let alone make her way to the figure, and even if she could, she wouldn’t want to risk her uncanny absent-mindedness to raise all sorts of alarms in the dead of night, waking even the heaviest of sleepers. She noticed a sliver of pale light in the horizon. If she could hold out until daybreak, she would know. Meanwhile, she watched the figure between blinks, each becoming slower, longer, heavier …  
  
“Lady Kamui!”  
  
Kamui woke with a start and to the sight of Felicia rushing to her side.  
  
“What? What’s wrong?” Was it an enemy? Were they under attack?  
  
“Have you been sleeping here all night? The days may be warmer, but you could still catch a cold at night if you don’t wrap up!”  
  
Kamui blinked several times, unable to remember the reason for having fallen asleep out of her bed.  
  
“If only I woke you at your usual time but … we all agreed you needed the rest.” Felicia looked at her with a slight furrow of her brows and a hint of worry in her eyes, doubting her own judgement.  
  
Indeed, now that her eyes were open the world seemed too bright compared to that of the evening and – oh, that’s right. She had stayed awake to find out the identity of the figure but had slept completely past dawn without even realising she had slipped into slumber.  
  
“It’s not your fault, Felicia, I appreciate your kindness,” Kamui assured her with a smile, Felicia returning a weak smile in return. “And you were right, I did need the rest. And I believe you do too, so try not to do any work today. You and Joker.”  
  
Felicia’s smile became worried again. “Oh no, but we have so much to do …”  
  
She knew they wouldn’t agree completely, but she asked that if they felt the absolute need to work, then to do the minimal amount possible.  
  
A growl of complaint from her body sent Felicia in a fit of hurry in search of food before Kamui could even say a word. Kamui sighed. Her stomach would take precedence, but after, she would consider a plan.  
  
*  
  
No matter what Kamui said, everyone was adamant to train. Thankfully the weather seemed to be on her side and took a turn for the worse, first sprinkling a light shower but steadily turning into heavy drops by mid-afternoon, and all but the ninjas who took this opportunity to do more training were forced to spend time indoors. Kamui was sure the others were grateful for the excuse to properly rest even if no one admitted it.  
  
She had casually asked each if they slept well and they all replied with various forms of the affirmative, from ‘yes’ to ‘I would have slept better if _someone_ hadn’t interrupted me with their _snoring_ ’, which logically meant the figure was someone not among them. Or someone was lying. But then she realised her phrasing hadn’t been correct. They may have been outside, yes, but that didn’t mean they didn’t sleep after and – well, it was too late to go about questioning them all again about what they were doing after they returned to camp. She would have to consider a different plan.  
  
Night steadily shaded the bleak grey sky into black and when Kamui looked out of the window into the veil of rain, she somehow knew she wouldn’t be catch sight of the figure even if she were able to see. She turned in, pondering over thoughts of the previous night before falling asleep.  
  
*  
  
It was not until a few nights later when Kamui was staring out of the window that she caught sight of the figure again. The grounds were not lit like before, although the waning moon certainly tried its best. Kamui watched, but she must have been more tired than she thought because she had fallen asleep once more.  
  
She searched for the figure every night after and became aware of an emerging pattern. Rainy nights were a definite no, but then so were nights with an overcast. On one night when she had spent a pleasant evening in the mess hall conversing with Hisoka, Rinka and Luna on what would be considered ‘normal’, quite girly topics, she had deliberately chosen the route past the spring and trees back to her tree house. She was sure it was past midnight and the figure should have been there, but they had either disappeared out of sight with her approach or weren’t there in the first place. Eventually she concluded the latter after several other similar trips around camp and found one possibility that was most likely true.  
  
They only appeared with the moon.  
  
Kamui’s thoughts automatically went to Flannel but after some monitoring (she refused to call it ‘surveillance’ because it was far more recreational than the kind Saizou used to note in his diary) (and oh, she would always consider that thing a diary than official notes) she realised that someone who bound from one place to person to treasure (?) and who sniffed the air occasionally at the slight hint of food or imposter or … treasure (??) even standing in one spot could never sit as still as a statue.  
  
The ninjas also briefly came to mind but common sense reminded her they would never leave themselves so exposed and they too were scratched off the list. For the same reason, so were the outlaws and assassins.  
  
Several of the active and energetic persons were also scratched off her list (while mentally apologising to them for immediately attaching them to the word ‘loud’), which left even fewer options including her brothers. Marx was certainly a possibility after watching him train at night as a child, but she could never see him do something which he would no doubt perceive as ‘time wasting’. Leon was another option – perhaps a spell he was working on that required the light of the moon – but then he too would be practicing.  
  
By the end of it, her list was completely empty and she was back to square one.  
  
*  
  
It was on the night of the half moon that Kamui decided to take a chance and wander out towards the suspicious area. She had made sure the figure was in sight and waited until she was certain people were asleep to sneak out and tread softly on the grass to make her way to the spring, careful not to step on twigs or catch her feet on rocks.  
  
She was now behind one of the staff stores, the building closest to the spring, and if she could sidle along the sidewall and peer round, their identity should be presented to her. The staff store was at a perfect angle so that she would remain unseen to the person but allow her to maybe catch a glimpse of features from behind, which she could then later fit to the members of camp.  
  
She could feel her heart beat faster as she neared the shop front, the mystery person finally making themselves known to her and—  
  
She saw the spring but with no trace of the figure.  
  
Disappointment dropped down on and quietened her heart.  
  
*  
  
“Suzukaze,” Kamui asked while sipping tea. “Would you be able to teach me the art of stealth?”  
  
Suzukaze paused mid-lift of his cup and smiled. She recognised that smile – it was the kind of smile which showed he admired her motivation to attempt something new, but also hinted that she would only ever be able to dabble in the art and not quite master the skill without considerable time and dedication (the ‘if at all’ was implied.)  
  
“I could certainly teach you how to conceal yourself and sneak up on a person—”  
  
“But not to a level of your mastery,” she finished for him, and he smiled sheepishly.  
  
“May I ask – is there a reason for you needing to acquire this skill?”  
  
Kamui shook her head, brushing aside his question. “No, I fancied it might be useful. Maybe I should leave the sneaking to the professionals and concentrate on my sword wielding instead.”  
  
Suzukaze laughed softly and they drank their tea in silence.  
  
*  
  
“The armour you wear already makes it impossible for you to be light on your feet,” Saizou commented, both eyes closed in thought. “But even without, you would be unable to stop yourself from opening your mouth.”  
  
The relationship between Kamui and Saizou had gone from tentative to polite to friendly to downright blunt which was refreshing yet infuriating to both.  
  
“I’m sure not all ninjas were born light on their feet,” Kamui reasoned. “And I can remember to keep my mouth shut.”  
  
Whether it was because he was stung by how she had approached his younger brother first or because he genuinely thought she was hopeless, he stood fast by his observation bordering on insult. “Perhaps not, but we started our training as a child. You are asking to learn an art which took us years to master. Even as masters our training is incomplete.”  
  
“You must be skilled enough to teach someone like me.”  
  
He opened his eye and stared at her. “No one would be skilled enough to teach someone like you.”  
  
Suzukaze had come to the rescue after sensing commotion escalating at the centre of camp and approaching to find quite the audience. At the centre of it all was Kamui and his brother. As a ninja, he was surprised. As his brother, he was not.  
  
“You’re not listening to what I’m saying!” Kamui said, obviously worked up with the way exasperation seeped from her voice.  
  
“Do not accuse someone with the ability to hear an enemy shift a mile away of not having heard your words!”  
  
“That’s ridiculous, why then is it you always seem so surprised when I accidentally walk into the hot springs while you bathe?!” she asked hotly, to which Saizou was left spluttering.  
  
Suzukaze dragged his fuming brother away before he could cause any casualties.  
  
*  
  
One brush stroke, swift, across the paper.  
  
“You must be like the wind.”  
  
A second stroke, swift, in the opposite direction.  
  
“Present, yet invisible.”  
  
A third stroke, slower, weaving across the paper.  
  
“Always changing direction.”  
  
Kamui sat opposite Kagerou whose brush-holding hand was now poised in the air while she contemplated her drawing.  
  
“Blending to become a part of the environment,” Kagerou continued, not once looking up, “concealing yourself in plain sight.”  
  
Kagerou finally looked up and Kamui hurriedly changed her expression from blank confusion to intent listening. The artist flipped the painting round to show her the work she had now completed.  
  
Kamui stared at the dark lines and felt goosebumps on her arms.  
  
“… Is that …?”  
  
“The wind,” Kagerou said matter-of-factly.  
  
“O-of course.” Kamui saw lines. Many dark lines that made her feel queasy and she did not get the feeling the drawing represented the wind. At all.  
  
*  
  
Kamui walked into the smithy handling a sword she had stumbled across on one of their earlier campaigns but didn’t have the time to attend to until now.  
  
Belka turned to look at her.  
  
“No,” Belka said coolly. “The answer is no.”  
  
“How do you even know what I was about to ask?” Kamui wondered, approaching the petite woman.  
  
“How could no one not after your public display the other day?”  
  
Kamui held the sword sideways to Belka. “I was only going to ask if you could upgrade this.”  
  
“No, you weren’t,” Belka insisted, but took the weapon out of her hands anyway.  
  
“Why is it everyone insists I’m unable to learn?” Kamui asked. “Surely it can’t be that difficult.”  
  
“Theoretically, no. But you don’t have the right qualities. You should concentrate on what you can achieve instead of going after something you can’t.” Belka cast her eyes across the metal. “Come back later in the afternoon.”  
  
As Kamui wandered around camp, she was beginning to feel Belka was right. Maybe it was time to quit her search.  
  
*  
  
Kamui stepped outside and shivered. Though the night was warm, the air stroking her skin sent a chill through her body after spending longer than usual in the hot springs. She noted that the path back to the tree house was not alight with natural light and looked up to find clouds bundled in the sky.  
  
She sighed. She would not be seeing the mysterious figure tonight.  
  
Tugging the ends of the towel wrapped around her neck, she started to make her return.  
  
“Milady,” – Kamui jumped and whipped round before her body briefly relaxed, but then tensed again for a different reason altogether – “would you mind if I escorted you back to your room? You can never be too careful of those who may be waiting in the dark to pounce on the unsuspecting.”  
  
She immediately thought to say the only person to pounce on the unsuspecting would be the man approaching her now, one eye filled with amusement as a sharp cross replaced the other. “That’s … thoughtful of you. I’d appreciate your company.”  
  
Zero bowed and they walked side by side. She risked a glance in his direction; she was on the side of his good eye but he was looking ahead. Her eyes dropped to his mouth always in a ghost of a smile that softened or hardened, warmed or chilled with his words; right now the smile was soft.  
  
“Is something bothering you?” His eye rested on her. “Perhaps you would have been more comfortable beginning our stroll by your usual custom of _petting_ as you are prone to doing when you invite me to your room?”  
  
His words redirected all the heat her body had soaked up straight to her face. For now. “N-no, no – no. No petting is necessary.”  
  
“As you wish.” They fell into silence once more.  
  
The walk back to her room was less than five minutes but she could push close to ten if she deliberately stretched out each pace as she was doing now, Zero slowing his own pace accordingly, but the silence seemed to nibble away at the seconds. Kamui knew she should use this opportunity to know the man better. They were making improvements now that he had started to place his trust in her and she continued to go about striking conversation with him where possible. She was now at the stage where she could not be so easily thrown by his words, although they seemed to bother her more than when they first met; it unnerved her to think too closely of the real reason.  
  
“Zero, you’re a skilled thief,” she started, her recent plight coming into mind once more.  
  
“Why is it people always forget that I’m first and foremost Lord Leon’s retainer?” He closed his eye and sighed melodramatically, almost matching those often uttered by Odin (it was amusing to watch hints of each other’s character rub off on the other and – gods, she needed to select her words more carefully, especially in Zero’s presence.) “I imagine neither my experience nor reputation would ever let me escape the title. Forever bound with no means of true release, no matter how strong my pleas or desires.”  
  
She did her best to ignore the shadows of images influenced by his words threatening (or promising?) to form in her mind. “Would you be able to share your knowledge?”  
  
“Oh? What knowledge? The way my fingers slip unnoticed between hidden clefts until too late? The use of my slick tongue to slide around sticky situations? Perhaps the manner—”  
  
“Your feet,” she blurted.  
  
He quirked an eyebrow. “Milady, I genuinely didn’t expect you to ask something so personal.”  
  
Kamui refused to think deeply about that comment.  
  
“I mean,” she pushed on, “I would like to know how you are so stealthy on your feet. And if you have time, to teach me.”  
  
“Ah.” Zero’s face fell slightly. “Not the most stimulating of my crafts. Are you sure you wouldn’t—”  
  
“I’m very sure.” She had to force herself to deny his suggestions out loud or else a different response, one that likely spoke too close to the truth, would escape and she would end up in his hands (in more ways than one), handled like dough.  
  
“A shame. Although are you sure you wouldn’t want someone else to teach you, one … fiery ninja, maybe?”  
  
Kamui’s lips tightened. “I’m sure you know how that turned out.”  
  
Zero laughed softly. “While I feel slightly put out you didn’t come to me sooner, I would gladly teach you. Would tomorrow be convenient?”  
  
Her schedule was empty and she agreed to the engagement at a more specific time of noon.  
  
They stood in silence, Kamui concentrating very hard on the ground and her feet decorated by tufts of dark green around the edges and between her toes. Her eyes wandered to the pair of feet pointing towards her, the dark leather impeccably clean. It seemed Zero cared for his belongings much more than she had realised.  
  
His feet were also much larger than her own.  
  
“Milady.”  
  
“Yes?” She looked up sharply, feeling guilty at her thoughts roaming into uncouth territory.  
  
“I believe we’ve arrived.”  
  
She hadn’t realised they had long stopped walking and were standing beneath the tree house.  
  
“Oh.” She gathered the courage to look into his piercing blue eye; it was only proper when he had taken the time to walk her here. “Thank you for your escort and … I look forward to tomorrow.”  
  
He bowed his head. “As do I, milady.”  
  
*  
  
The sessions that followed were a torturous mix of awe and embarrassment in so many ways, she was left mentally exhausted after every single one of them. One minute she stood speechless at his demonstration of hiding in plain sight, his presence concealed whatever the situation and surprising her from inconceivable angles …  
  
… The next he was making a remark in her ear that nudged half-formed images into clarity and preventing her from concentrating on her task …  
  
… Then she was staring open mouthed at his smooth switch from salacious to serious as he taught her several tricks from his trade with soft tones and encouraging words …  
  
… Only to be met with the familiar humiliation riling up inside with her failure to imitate his techniques.  
  
She was grateful for his patience but she was certain even after so many days she had not really gained any skill. Her training was beginning to look hopeless and she had half a mind to cancel the whole affair.  
  
“Gentle coaxing is not enough for some to arouse their abilities. They need intense pressure, the rough friction of unpredictability,” Zero said, half to himself. “Maybe we should put your learning to practice.”  
  
Kamui went to bed that night with a strange mix of fear and excitement for what lay ahead of her tomorrow, for all the situations that could go wrong, and for those choice words he had the habit of uttering.  
  
*  
  
Shallow breaths were not enough to pump air into her struggling lungs and her arms were shaking from propping her weight on her knees. She was hot, but not just because she had been running for her life.  
  
“That … could have gone … better …”  
  
“Yes. It could have.”  
  
Kamui lifted her head to see Zero look down at her, leaning against the wall of the armoury with his arms crossed, his usual smirk twisted into a grimace.  
  
“You were watching?”  
  
“How else am I to judge your performance?”  
  
How could he have been following and yet arrive at their rendezvous before her, completely unruffled and without being short of breath?  
  
She had been tasked with discovering three facts unknown to most members of camp, belonging to three different marks, at three different times. She had targeted several people who could conceal her presence without much effort on her part, those like Harold and Odin, Orochi and Oboro. Somehow, each had caught sight of her and greeted her warmly, and she couldn’t disappear without greeting them in return and exchanging a few words. She had been struggling to decide who to target next, when she had come up with a plan to hide between shifts of shop assistants that seemed foolproof at first and then—  
  
She blushed at the memory.  
  
Zero opened his mouth, paused, thought better of it. “Please refrain from speaking my name to Saizou when he comes.”  
  
“He’s coming?” Kamui whipped her head round and scanned the area, forgetting in her haste that it was useless to try and find a ninja who didn’t want to be seen.  
  
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s … _close_.”  
  
Kamui closed her eyes and dropped her head, not even bothering to hide her groan.  
  
“And my performance?” She already knew the answer but she had to put herself through the pain of making sure anyway.  
  
Zero had not struggled so openly since he had come face to face with a plateful of Felicia’s cooking. “I believe no one can be good at everything. While you are skilled at wielding weapons and strategic manoeuvring, your stealth is … on par with that of Odin’s.”  
  
“So, nonexistent you mean.”  
  
“Unfortunately.”  
  
Her heart sank. Even after all this time and effort, she was not good enough to catch the mystery nightwalker. She blinked back the tears. Why did she feel such a need to find out who it was? Did it even matter at this point?  
  
“Why do you feel the need to learn this art?”  
  
Kamui hesitated, waiting until she was sure he had full control over her tears before her reply. “Because it would be useful in battle.”  
  
Zero tutted, shaking his head. At least his grin was back in place. “Please tell me that wasn’t a poor attempt to out-lie a liar.”  
  
Under an expectant gaze which seemed more focused when coming from one eye, Kamui spoke of the discovery of that night leading up to the events up till now, uninterrupted until she had told the whole tale.  
  
“There’s a simple solution,” he said. “Why don’t I catch this mysterious figure myself? You can join me up to the point where I consider your presence too risky, then I’ll hurry along and catch them.”  
  
His theory was sound and at this point she was certain he would refuse to teach her any further on her stealth (or lack thereof). “Only if it won’t disturb your evening,” she folded.  
  
“How could I not delight in spending long hours in your delectable company, nestled under the cover of darkness, our unspeakable deeds blanketed by the shadows?”  
  
It was already beginning to sound like a bad idea. She dropped her head down again, her breathing finally seeming to—  
  
“Lady Kamui.”  
  
She jumped to find Saizou, now fully dressed and no longer tending the accessory shop.  
  
“Saizou, I—”  
  
“Lady Kamui,” he repeated, the force of his words silencing her. They weren’t as threatening as she imagined. Then again, it was impossible to be frightened when she could detect a hint of embarrassment. “What were you doing hiding in the dressing room closet.”  
  
“I … was just … waiting for the person tending the store to return.”  
  
“And why would you need to be _hiding_ in the dressing room _closet_?”  
  
She was unable to find a reply. She glanced to the side to gain support from Zero, but he had gone before the conversation even started.  
  
“Well … why would you be trying on the—”  
  
“ _Do not mention it_.”  
  
The two stared each other down until Saizou finally sighed. “I understand you have been spending time with the outlaw. You may want to be wary of his influence.”  
  
“His influence isn’t bad,” she insisted. “His words may be … difficult to bear and he’s quick to judge, but his heart is true. If you feel discontent, maybe you should have accepted my request.”  
  
“… To teach you stealth? Is that what he’s been trying?” Saizou scoffed. “He’s a terrible teacher or a terrible outlaw.”  
  
“So not because I’m a terrible student?”  
  
Saizou looked at her. “I hadn’t considered that option. It's definitely the most fitting.”  
  
Kamui narrowed her eyes. “I could easily let slip to someone about what I saw in the—”  
  
“Do _not_ mention what passed between us in the accessory shop to anyone.”  
  
“Not even—”  
  
“ _No.”_  
  
*  
  
Zero was already waiting outside that night when Kamui slipped out of her room, his face mostly hidden under the hood. Should he decide to walk the shadows he would be lost to her in seconds.  
  
“Milady,” he greeted. “Lead the way.”  
  
The night was restless. A faint breeze rustled leaves, insects chirped from different directions, two figures padded quietly across the ground at a steady pace.  
  
Kamui had not caught sight of the figure before she left even with the full illumination of the moon and she could only pray that the figure would be there by the time they both arrived.  
  
Distant clangs of metal rang faintly in the air.  
  
“My brother must be practicing again,” she muttered softly.  
  
Zero lifted his head towards the sound. “No, that would be Pieri sharpening her weapons. She tends to do that before bed.”  
  
“Oh,” Kamui said in surprise. It sounded like two people sparring, the way the sounds clashed against each other so violently. She could almost imagine Pieri manically swiping at the polishing stone in the same manner she lashed at the enemy, all the while with a sweet smile on her face. A cold shiver traced the back of her spine.  
  
Light was shining from inside one of the staff stores.  
  
“Is it always open so late?” she whispered to Zero.  
  
“That would be Oboro sorting through stock.”  
  
She thought her chat with Oboro would have helped her relax more in the evenings, but she imagined it was a hard habit to break and a memory such as hers was not one that could be wiped with a few kind words. It would be an idea to ask for her company on occasion, maybe with the help of some others.  
  
“She only does this once a month,” she was aware of Zero speaking, almost in reply to what was on her mind. “It’s not a regular habit as far as I’m aware.”  
  
They stopped by the backdoor. “Wait here,” he whispered, lips ghosting over her ear and warm breath sending a shudder down her body.  
  
She waited in darkness with the noises of the night, one minute passing into two, into three, and then concern gnawing into her with every second after. What was taking so long? Why was there no sound? Had the figure been an imposter? Was Zero wounded, bleeding out with each precious second she stood unaware of the situation?  
  
Concern won out and she didn’t even bother to conceal the rustle of her footsteps as she hurried along the side of the building, peering around the corner to check. She could find no one by the spring nor in the surrounding area, then she cast her eyes to the trees. Perhaps he had pursued the figure there? She weaved between the trees until finally reaching a clearing at the heart of the small collection of trees where she stopped.  
  
The world froze. Even her heart seemed to stop. Seeing Zero unmoving beneath a tree had her believe the worst and her heart pounded harder, faster against her chest with her steps. “Zero?” she whispered.  
  
He lifted his head at her voice and pressed a finger to where his lips presumably were in the shadow, inviting her with a nod to his right. She followed his instruction, heartbeat slowing as she sat on the soft patch of grass.  
  
“Are you okay?” She asked. “Did you find them? Did they escape?”  
  
She waited expectantly but he didn’t turn.  
  
“Milady, have you ever spent the whole night gazing up at the moon?”  
  
Kamui looked up, the moon visible in the only patch that wasn’t shielded by the treetops.  
  
“I don’t think I have.”  
  
Both fell silent under the glow. The light of the moon was cool on her skin compared to the sun, but not unwelcome. Where the sun gave her energy and warmth, the moon was like a salve, soothing away the day’s toils and frustrations, and today had been filled with both.  
  
“I used to compare myself to the moon, a long time ago,” Zero started. Kamui shifted her gaze from the moon to him, silently observing. “First it was superficial; a woman once complimented my hair to be as ‘white and shining’ as the moon, and I an innocent child believed her, priding myself on that fact. Not soon after, I compared myself because we were akin in our loneliness, both of us abandoned in the dark with nothing but each other as company.”  
  
Zero huffed a bitter laugh. “Now, I’ve come to realise it was foolish of me to ever compare myself to such unrivalled beauty. _I_ am the darkness that preys on the light, the cloak to conceal the marvel from anyone watching, just so they could suffer as I suffered.”  
  
Kamui imagined, as she continued to gaze at the man behind the hood, the pain reflected in his eye deliberately kept out of sight, his mouth turned in neither a warm or cold smile.  
  
“I must be quite the masochist to gaze longingly, night after night, at the one thing I could never be.”  
  
She automatically reached out and touched his arm, felt muscles tense even through the thickness of his sleeve.  
  
“It’s the opposite, Zero,” she said, softly. “The darkness may be your wish for pain which comes and goes, but underneath, you are the one shining bright. Occasionally concealed, yes, but for that ever more beautiful when your true self is revealed.”  
  
He lowered his head.  
  
“Milady,” his voice was tight and barely a whisper. “You show too much kindness.”  
  
Without thinking, her hand trailed over the curve of his arm (deceptively strong, just like the rest of him), over the dark hood until she gently peeled the thick material over his head to reveal delicate wisps of moonlight now dancing with the breeze and tickling her fingers. She was briefly enticed but then continued along, the back of her fingers brushing his cheek; she sensed the initial recoil but no more. His face which seemed so smooth in daylight now grazed her skin with a hint of evening shadow (or in his case, would they be like fine grains of sand?) Her fingertips reached for his chin and pressed a gentle request that he face her, light enough for him to decline if he so wished. There was a moment’s hesitation, but then he allowed her to turn his head until she could see his face.  
  
His eye focused on her, shimmering and unguarded. Kamui inhaled sharply; she had never noticed – no, never been allowed to notice the depths of his emotions, and having been granted permission now, she wanted to sink further and lose herself in this dark pool of blue.  
  
She was drawn in physically, the distance between shrinking until she felt softness brush against her lips. There was a twitch, then he moved his lips against hers, a few seconds before the sensation disappeared. She opened her eyes.  
  
A crease began to form between his brows, his lips curling in the wrong direction; she pressed her lips, more forcefully, onto his, so he could be stopped from voicing those thoughts, so he could feel and taste her own affection until they overwhelmed him enough to have him convinced.  
  
He swallowed his words which melted into a low growl deep in his chest.  
  
“Hey, what’re you—” they jolted apart. “Oh, I’m sorry, I – I didn’t, er, mean to—”  
  
Lazward stood with his mouth open a few feet away, and though it was hard to tell, Kamui was sure his face was reddening with every second.  
  
“I’m … going now, over there, so … good evening.”  
  
He disappeared.  
  
“Is _anyone_ asleep at night?” Kamui wondered out loud. Exactly how much action was she missing while she lay fast asleep in bed?  
  
“Lazward takes strolls around camp,” Zero replied, his voice almost calm. “Lord Leon reads until his candle has burnt out and Lord Marx practices handling his sword. Lady Camilla bathes in the springs, Belka sneaks into town, Harold wakes occasionally to find his sleep disturbed by some misfortune and in turn disturbs others. I believe the ninjas take turns to scout the area for potential enemies. There are probably more people awake than not.”  
  
Kamui already knew the answer but she had to ask anyway. “And what about you?”  
  
Zero looked straight into Kamui’s eyes. “I sit under the moon until dawn.”  
  
There was a single moment, where all her frustrations of the past month had been squeezed and compressed into a single rock gripped in her fist, and the temptation to throw it at him and ask _why_ swelled inside – but then stopped. She already knew why, as she saw uncertainty cloud his eye and he began to raise his guard.  
  
To throw that rock would be to shatter the moon.  
  
“Would you mind if … if maybe I joined you? Not always, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your time alone—”  
  
This time it was Zero who took hold of her chin between thumb and forefinger, his eye tracing the contours of her face as his thumb rubbed circles on her soft skin. Deliberating. Perhaps an invitation, perhaps a rejection. Kamui could only hope; she had, after all, made her intentions clear.  
  
“As I previously mentioned,” he said, and how she had missed his warm smile, “how could I not delight in spending long hours in your delectable company?”  
  
She blushed at the reminder, his words not taken seriously at the time now sending a tingle through her body. He leaned forward to steal a quick kiss and nipped her bottom lip playfully before parting.  
  
They both turned their attention back to the moon, neither knowing what they were doing or where this path would go, but for now simply enjoying each other’s company.  
  
Minutes passed.  
  
Inside Kamui’s head those minutes seemed far longer as she argued with herself, so loudly she was sure it wouldn’t take a mind reader to know what was being said. The idea itself was foolish but Kamui even more so when she opened her mouth and muttered a barely audible, “you also mentioned something about blankets.”  
  
There was a moment where she thought her words went unheard and she was half relieved, half grateful for the fortune.  
  
Then she felt him stir.  
  
“… Milady?”  
  
She _knew_ he had heard and was asking her to repeat her words for his own amusement’s sake. Her whole concentration was on the moon and not on the urge to see the look on his face.  
  
“… A thought,” she said, trying to be casual even though she could hear her voice shake. “For a night we have no moon to gaze upon.”  
  
His deep chuckles echoing into the night had her smiling.


End file.
